Taylor’s Alley Youth Claims Police Abuse
Allegations of police brutality in Belize City are commonplace. Every so often victims would come to our studios to vent their frustration with the manner in which officers go about doing their jobs. This morning, we were called out to the Ombudsman’s Office where the mother of Isaiah Middleton had filed a complaint against members of the Belize Police Department. The mother and son contend that he is being harassed by officers on mobile patrol since he has been picked up twice within a three-day period near Taylor’s Alley. Furthermore, they say that Middleton is the victim of sustained physical abuse, alleging that he had been beaten repeatedly while in police custody and then denied a medico-legal form upon his release.
Stephanie Neal, Mother of Isaiah Middleton
“Well fahn Sunday deh pick up mi son from by Orange Street, around by the alley. The first thing I asked my son was why dehn ker ahn. He say I noh know ma; dehn noh inform him weh dehn di pick up he for. Before they ker ahn, I said weh happen Isaiah. The police tell me miss yo can’t take to ahn; we done got him detain and you could get locked down for this. So I move off and I gone. When I look, I gone out and my oldest daughter call me and say come, Isaiah swell up bad – police beat ahn and let ahn go and tell he make ih come for the gun because dehn di beat he because they want the gun. He say the way dehn police di beat ahn, he had to tell them…why you wah do that and you know yo noh got wah gun. Ih say dehn tell he mom that dehn wah kill me like the young man weh dehn kill dah Ladyville. And that I wah get missing and dehn Taylor’s Alley think dehn nice, but dehn wah get slow down and me noh know weh all. Everybody know my son; my son dah noh somebody weh give trouble like that. Then dehn wah beat ahn with iron. I mi think police deh yah fi protect and serve. And this dah di second time, when dehn meet ahn this morning again dah because dehn tell ahn that dehn wah kill ahn again. If I fi sit down now and turn out that my son end up dead, weh wah happen? Dah noh di first time dehn do it, dah noh di second time; dehn distinctly tell ahn that dehn wah kill ahn and handg him up.”
Stephanie Neal
Isani Cayetano
“Now you’ve lodged a formal complaint with the ombudsman.”
Stephanie Neal
“Well that’s why I come to the ombudsman to take it to any level weh ih supposed to go. Whatever level this fi go ih gwen because if dehn di beat my son with iron and brutalize him like this. And if they supposed to arrest him for whatever charges, why can’t they do it ina the proper manner? Dehn wah take my son and the beat ahn like dehn dah fi dehn pa.”
A similar complaint has been brought against members of the department in the wake of a beating a few weeks ago involving a minor of a Curassow Street address.
